shefcanary

It wasn't always like this (coincidentally something from my Facebook feed today.

Big Vince is pissed off that some American Socialists who own a baseball team and have invested in the arena may get granted a pathway to take over the club, meanwhile Delia is pissed off with Paddy Davitt, whilst some on here can't decide if the EDP revealing the story is a good or bad thing for the club. Webber has had a quiet few days out of the eye of the storm. And Tilly is in the "know". 😉

These are both potential alternative ways of Smith & Jones retaining a majority shareholding whilst also allowing Attanasio to build up a significant stake in the club. I had not clocked the Foulger to Smith & Jones route, but that is an excellent way of getting £20m external investment into the club and giving Attansio c.27% of the club, just under the threshold of opening up the offer (if required - see below). The only flaws I see is that I don't think Smith & Jones could afford the going rate to buy Foulger out (c.£15m?), and Tilly has hinted stated Foulger is going nowhere. So that leaves us with the potential of a rights issue as part of the deal. A cost of living crisis environment is a good time to do this as it could see the underwriter (Attanasio) mop up a serious number of rights that weren't taken. However with Norwich fans, who knows what the appetite would be; it could be a very large gamble on the part of Attanasio's team, I think they would prefer a more certain route given his supposed cautious stewardship of the Brewers. Such a right's issue is also very time consuming; as always I'm sure both parties would prefer a cleaner solution to allow the team to get on with next season's preparations without it hanging over their heads. I am left favouring Attanasio is offering a fixed investment and is negotiating on how big a shareholding this gives him - at this stage I don't think he would be concerned if it took him over 30% (again I am uncertain if they have to offer to buy out other shareholders if this happens as the increase in shares was agreed under an AGM so this requirement is not necessary). Delia might be unhappy if she and Wynnie lost majority control, but I think she would take kudos for it nevertheless. We'll see shortly hopefully, hopefully the news is not buried under the Jubilee celebrations hyperbole.

Ah, the old days when you could see a band and get reyt trolleyed for less than a fiver! Kids today, hey. Interestingly I've just had a text from Ticketmaster offering 2-4-1 on a number of gigs over the summer, it does seem to be biting!

Music will also have to cut its cloth. I bought Killers recently for £80, Roxy Music in October for £70, given the size of the audience they are raking in £5-10m a gig, at some point that bubble will burst too.

Precisely why I didn't buy they only had Foulger's shares left on the agenda. The reception they were given, the MO they operate all sang this group were in this very seriously indeed and would only be satisfied with a clear pathway to eventually having 100% control. So if a person to person sale is way off the mark, then we must be looking at an allocation of the 1 million shares, and reading between the lines, all the other "leaks" about majority control being retained are way off the mark too.

I thought Broad's comments on the BBC website about England having to entertain in the tests has missed the point as well, which is a shame a player is peddling such nonsense, given the ticket pricing. Until the authorities realise they have to cut their cloth to ensure people continue to attend they will fail - simple supply & demand economics at the moment; the supply is priced too high, the demand has therefore vanished. As for double digit booking fees, that's almost as scandalous as agent's fees on player transfers.

Fair do's and lucky you for being "in the know". This implies for once the Carra is being managed with everyone on side. It kind of contradicts some of the messaging you've given before on here though, hence my cheeky pushing (apologies for that, but if you don't try etc). Is it now a happy ship all round, or is it quiet on pain of death (or the employment equivalent)? You don't have to answer, it is a question too far probably.....

I cannot make head nor tail of recent rumours & headlines, so am taking lack of official news as being a positive sign. We're 10 days on now from the Spurs match, as EDP has made it public with nothing official from the club implies negotiations must still be ongoing. Why keep negotiations going that long if nothing positive is possible. Where are our spies in the legal offices of Norwich & Milwaukee?

Come on Vinnie, find a promoter for this draft script, it will be great when put it on the stage and make you enough money so you can buy Delia out!

Or am I? 😉 And you can be evasive too. When are you expecting an "official announcement"? 😎

Urban myth that Nutty. Geological faults determined the route of the M62, the farmer got paid a fortune for all the environmental disturbance, but let the myth perpetuate for a quiet life from people tapping him up for the odd fiver!

Nowt odd about that given my personal experience.

Intriguing. Duncan implies Foulger went behind Delia's back to sell his shares and you imply he's going nowhere. Hmmm 🤔 While I cogitate on that, any idea how soon we get that "official announcement"?

So looks like we could be heading into a hostile takeover situation in a few months. Whose side are you on? 😆

£60m pissed up the wall. On only 3 players .....

😲 I was joking, kind of, but rats hey!

Your assertion almost makes it sound like that Delia was in direct talks with Attanasio (totally in private without other Board members other than Wynnie knowing, Delia knocked Attanasio back but the Pink'Un ran their story, Foulger read it and offered Attanasio his shares undermining Delia. Is that what you are saying? Insurrection in the ranks ...!

The Pink'Un are now quoting: The report claims that early discussions between all parties have been positive and that joint majority shareholders Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones wish to retain their 53 per cent holding in Norwich. It is unclear at this stage whether Attanasio, 64, would look to take on a larger share of the club in the future. Attanasio is a multi-millionaire businessman, who purchased the Brewers in 2004 for a reported $223 million, and is also the part-owner of Milwaukee Admirals. The Pink Un exclusively broke how Attanasio’s delegation at the Spurs game included his two sons, Mike, who was sporting a Norwich scarf, and Dan, David Stearns, president of baseball operations for the Milwaukee Brewers, Dan Fumai, chief financial officer at the Milwaukee Brewers and Rick Schlesinger, president of business operations for the Brewers. Also among the delegation was Richard Ressler, a minority stakeholder at the Brewers and on the advisory board. He is a close friend of Attanasio and goes back to Brown University with the multi-millionaire. City have declined to comment when approached whilst a spokesman for Attanasio has also contacted for comment. I'm going out on a limb here and saying I don't buy this. Attanasio has gone to an awful lot of trouble just to buy out Foulger's shares, without a promise of greater control; from a hard headed business person's point of view it makes no sense. It is a senseless gamble (much like my own on the horses, where I never look at form, keep my fingers crossed). I say again, all this public show of welcome with all his operational staff in tow shows a much deeper investment planned than just buying out one shareholder. Is this a line fed to the Athletic to throw us all off the scent again (or maybe to throw prospective selling clubs off trying to negotiate larger fees)? 🤔 This development is even more unlikely than Attanasio's interest in the club in the first place.

One thing I really hate is someone filming the action instead of living the moment. Are they all like this over here, worse than at home?

Catching up having been doing other things. I always thought that Attanasio's offer would be based on a fixed budgeted figure initially, flushing out how much of a share of the club it could buy him. It may well be true that now Foulger is looking for an exit (rumours on here that his farms are now in administration so he needs some cash). However if it was just Foulger selling to Attanasio, then there would be little need for all the welcome etc. that has been taking place; it would be purely a person to person sale, as it only gets them a seventh of the club. So I am minded that the negotiations are currently still around what the fixed sum Attanasio has in mind is going to get him, in terms of shares and Board level control, whilst setting out a pathway for eventual full takeover. This is in accord with Smith & Jones earlier public discourse where they intimated they would be more welcome for someone to come on board in a smaller way, that both parties got to know each other better and that if things were still working Smith & jones would be happy to sell up. So Foulger's shares plus a little of the new shares; I estimated before c.20,000 being issued would still leave Smith & jones with just over 50% and controlling shares, with maybe a convertible loan on top and a couple of seats on the Board to complete the package. Purely conjecture on my part, but a total investment from Attanasio's point of view of $20-30million? Not quite the complete change of picture we first thought, I won't hide my disappointment at that but I still think Attanasio's presence on the Board will see a step change in how the club attacks the next season.

I'm absolutely certain that would be the case. And the club are probably rightly angry that it has broke and weakened their negotiation position. But they only have themselves to blame. With a Chairperson and a CEO they would not be in the position they find themselves and would have been in charge of the narrative. Very costly once again ....

There was talk as Pukki got older and his initial burst pace slowed that he could be played in a more central attacking midfielder role given his work rate on the ball. This could potentially extend his career a couple more years if he was up for it, maybe more if you look at someone like Wes. Is that a change that Deano & Shakey may look at? 🤔

Tell me about it! And currently they are laying a new gas main in Mottram which adds another 45 minutes to that. Sheffield to Manchester in 2hrs 15 minutes recently, that's only half an hour less than the time it takes me to get from Sheffield to Norwich (without speeding - I think I could possibly do it in same time without scaring my passengers - 80-85mph ish)!

I can get from Sheffield to Norwich in 2hrs 45 minutes without breaking the speed limit now, when back in the 80's it was easily 3 and half. I always go down A1 to the A14, its half an hour quicker. It ain't so bad now they have sorted the A14.